CoxHealth, Mercy partner with OTC program that trains EMTs, paramedics

At the Thursday dedication, there were remarks from OTC Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Tracy McGrady; President of Mercy Springfield Communities Jon Swope; President and CEO of CoxHealth Steve Edwards, and OTC Foundation Board Chair Curtis Jared.(Photo: Ozarks Technical Community College)

The two largest hospital systems in the Springfield area announced Thursday that they are co-sponsoring an Ozarks Technical Community College program that trains EMTs and paramedics.

With support from CoxHealth and Mercy Springfield, OTC's emergency medical services program will expand to the OTC Table Rock Campus this fall and to the OTC Waynesville Center in January.

The Springfield-based program also provides ongoing training required for emergency medical technicians and paramedics employed in the area.

“It won’t matter if a Mercy or CoxHealth ambulance rolls up to a scene,” said Jon Swope, president of Mercy Springfield Communities, in a written statement. “Patients and their loved ones will know those first responders have received a consistent level of instruction thanks to this program at OTC.”

Swope added: "While we remain competitors, the most important thing is how we can work together."

OTC Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Tracy McGrady said the health systems embraced a "shared vision" for expanding a program originally established in 1998. It was rededicated Thursday.

Ozarks Technical Community College's emergency medical services program started in the late 1990s.(Photo: Ozarks Technical Community College)

"It is making OTC the place for EMS education in our region and by doing so we ensure that all paramedics in the area are trained to the same quality standard," she said. "That enables EMS professionals from different services who are responding to an event to work seamlessly together and provide the best possible first-response care."

McGrady said additional resources from CoxHealth and Mercy will allow the program to add technology, upgrade equipment and expand staffing to annually train 80 EMTs and 44 paramedics by 2020. Currently, about 60 enroll each year.

The financial commitment from each institution was not disclosed.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for EMTs and paramedics is expected to grow by 15 percent between 2006 and 2026.

Curtis Jared, board chair of the OTC Foundation, said support from the two institutions helps offset expenses to keep allied health programs affordable for students. "When you have business and industry come together to support OTC, they help ensure that our community's current local workforce needs are met."

Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, said EMTs and paramedics provide critical emergency care wherever it is needed. "Our resources are useless unless our first-responders are there to bring you out of that field, out of that home and off that trail to make a life-saving difference."

He said by jointly supporting top-notch training at OTC, it strengthens the systems and improves patient care. "The collaboration with Mercy is particularly important because I believe as a community we are much stronger having two rivals, two competitors working together. And OTC has once again done what our community needs to bring us together."

At one point, each system had its own emergency medical services program.

Joshua Freeman(Photo: File photo)

Joshua Freeman, OTC EMS program director, works closely with the associate medical directors — Dr. Matthew Brandt of CoxHealth and Dr. Tom Lewis of Mercy. They work together to oversee classroom instruction, curriculum development support and clinical-rotation planning.

Freeman, who still works part time as a paramedic, said their guidance helps keep the program up-to-date. “Their insight into this ever-changing field helps us best meet the needs of our local health care systems.”